Elder Broderick heading home

We did it!!

Hey fam,

Well im sure your all waiting for the good news about the long awaited baptism. Well satan didnt give up till the very last second on Jasmin. This whole week weve been working on lots of paperwork for marriages and trying to keep up on the few investigators that we have. Overall it was really good though. Just so you guys have somewhat of an idea about how hard satan works against the families that we have... thursday the day before the baptismal interview Hosman (the husband of jasmin) got in a fight with her brother just 10 minutes before we got there to their house because of problems with money and hosman got scratched in the face and bit and it was just nasty. Luckily the brother had taken off and everything but Jasmin and their little daughter was in tears and it was just really bad but we were able to calm them down and eventually prepare for her interview and everything. She answered everything perfectly and after we had given her the challenge to read the book of mormon marking everytime it mentions Christ, God, Lamb, or anything that refers to Jesus Christ. On friday she was already in Jacob and showed us each page that she had marked up. Im doing it to and shes gonna catch up to me if I dont hurry up!!

So saturday comes around and in the morning we couldnt get them to answer the phone and we couldnt find them. Then all the sudden at about 12 her mom calls me and says that she is sick and cant be baptized and that we need to do it another day. I told her mom that no she is going to baptized today and that we will go and start heating up water cuz right now the water in the fonts the water is super cold. She then passed me to Jasmin and I told her to not let anything get in the way for her getting baptized cuz I think it was more the mom that was afraid of letting her get baptized. She told me that she was gonna get baptized no matter what!

She made it there and as much as we tried to heat up water and pour it in the pila it didnt do much and even though she is TERRIFIED OF WATER and for that she almost didnt even get in the font. Hardly any of the members showed up to baptism but the most important thing is that she got baptized and confirmed.

This week there are changes and I dont know if im gonna have changes or not but I guess until next week youll have to wait to know.

I love you all, thanks for your prayers in helping this family make their way into the church!!!

Love

Elder Gardner

12 DAYS BABY!!! HAHA

December feels unreal

Hey Fam,

Well i think ive gotten over the feelings that singing christmas songs gave me before. Now it seems like everyone wants us to just sing christmas songs when we go to teach them, since there are only like 8 christmas songs in the spanish hymn book im getting bored of them already all though they still make me miss home for some reason. I remember feeling the same last year though about christmas season but this time around its gonna be even harder.

This week has had its trials as well. We have just been doing everything possible to help Jasmin and Hosman feel better in the church and with all the teachings. They have had a whole lot of trials this week as well though cuz everything was going good until tuesday when they had a fight with the brother of Jasmin that lives in the same house as well. They live with Jasmins mom, grandma, and her tremendous brother. Since they had that fight the only thing they have wanted is to flee from the house, just 10 days before her baptism they want to move out of the house. They had us just super down all week cuz after everything that weve done and the friendship we have built they have no other choice but just get out of there. If its not one thing... its another in their situation. On tuesday we got it worked out with the bishop and Relief Society Pres so that they could go to the Bishops storehouse and get some food so they werent always asking for money from everyone. It really helped them and all but I think they are just even more confused then we are about what to do.

They took off thursday afternoon and since he doestn have a cell we knew nothing of them until sunday morning, but we got ready super early so that we could go to their house and they would be there. The sound of their little daughter screaming and crying never sounded so sweet when we showed up at their door knowing that they were there. Now I hope the lord has forgiven us but she gave us the excuse that she didnt have diapers for the little daughter and thats why she wasnt willing to go to church, so.... we went and bought 2 diapers on sunday morning. I felt bad but I didnt want that to be the reason for her baptismal date falling. Luckily there was a member passing when we were walking to the church that grabbed her and took her to the church cuz if not we for sure would have missed the sacrament. Luckily we made it and Hosman the husband came later cuz he wasnt there when we passed at 8.

With all the things that have happened it payed off and we got a family in church... but i just dont know if we are helping or hindering them by doing this. We will have to see what happens this weekend. She is set up to be baptized saturday at 5 but who knows what will happen. Keep her in your prayers.

I cant believe my little brother is gonna be 15 this week... will someone tell them to stop growing up on me. It seems like christmas is still way far away but its scaring me how fast time flys by. Last night we had the chance to see the satalite broadcast of the Christmas Devotional from the First Presidency. That didnt help me with my trunkyness but it was really awesome to hear their messages.

I sure do love you all and I hope your all surviving the cold winter. Its starting to warm up here. 2 weeks ago it was freezing and last night it rained a little bit but its warming up little by little!

Until Next Week

Elder Gardner

Run away baptism

Hey fam,

I really wish I could be sending you the pics of this long awaited, family completing, baptism... but no. We spent all week meeting with them everyday and preparing them for the baptism but as soon as friday got here there were some emergencies that came up with money problems....again and they took off in the morning when we were gonna do the baptismal interview. Turns out Hosman, the husband, doesnt have a cell phone so we had no idea how to get ahold of them. We went by later that night at around 830 and they had just gotten there and were exhausted but Jasmin said she felt great about the baptism and everything. Well saturday comes around and they take off at 10 in the morning... again but this time it was a little bit bigger of a deal cuz we didn't know whether to cancel the baptism or what. We sat at their house from 1 to 2 with her brother hoping they would come home for lunch.. but nothing. Elder Cac and I were just sooo confused and didnt know what to do, 4 came around and we had to call all the members and cancel the baptism saying that we just don't know what happened. We didnt hear from them or know anything about them till last night about 6 when we went back to their house and they just explained to us that there were some emergencies that they had to take care of. Ugh but this weekend was just extremely long and we still dont know what to believe with them. She accepted a new baptismal date for the 10th of December but we will see.

Other then all that stress... the mission continues on. Getting harder and harder as we continue having no success in our area. We found 2 new families at the beginning of the week and everything was going good, then I dont know what we did but all the sudden they wanted nothing. The people here just hear soo many bad things of the church that we cant get anyone to progress unless were right on their side every day. Nevertheless.... were doing good. Me and Elder Cac get along really well, my spanish vocab is getting bigger ever day being with a latino again.... i think i like being with latinos better. Greengos are just pridefull.. haha

I can honestly say that in the past couple weeks, or 2 months the hardest thing for me has been trying to maintain the spirit... while working and doing all the errands that we have to do as ZLs.. the stress is what satan uses to kill the zone leader missionaries.

In church they announced the Christmas Devotional next sunday and im so stoked to see that cuz I didnt get to see it last year but now that im in the city it makes everything so much more easier. I cant believe December is creepin in this week. Time just flies.

I love you all sooo much, despite all the hard stuff that we have to deal with, my testimony of the church only gets stronger everyday!!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.. I was thinkin about you all when I was eating my humbly made beans, saly honduran cheese and eggs. We just didnt happen to get any invatations this year and since its not celebrated only certain people know about it. It was a really good dinner though! Dont get me wrong!

Love Elder Gardner

Here comes the Christmas music

Hey Fam,

Well even here in Honduras they start super early with the Christmas music. I couldnt stand it at first but its starting to wear on me. Its just the feelings that it gives a missionary away from home for the 2nd time... its hard to explain. I try not to let it make me feel baggy or trunky.

This time of the year for missionary work for some reason slows down... whether its because of the animo of the missionaries or if its just the people not wanting to make changes this time of the year... im not sure. We are really struggling in finding new people but we have lots of plans in this next week to be creative with the members and help them to feel the sprituality of us so they will feel the desire to want to take us to their friends cuz knocking doors is just not working out. Just as it is with all members that are really good at teaching or super faithful in everything we do... they are the first ones we look for to take with us to lessons.

The best is that Jasmin went to church again yesterday and is now very ready for baptism. There is a lot of trust that we have developed with them in the past while. She had a doubt about the baptisms for the dead that we do but I just hapened to be with Elder Lopez... the missionary that I trained... in divisions that day and so we taught her the plan of salvation and understood very well why we baptize for our ancestors. It was a really good lesson... im sure if we would have left her for too long with that doubt... it could have killed the baptism for us. We saw that saturday night when we were there with them again she was even defending the church from her brother when he started saying stupid things that are just not true. She stood up fo rthe church though!!

Jasmin is getting baptized this saturday at 5 and sometimes I cant believe we finally did it. From contacting them in the street at 830 at night nearly 4 months ago... to now! We may not have many baptisms right now but I feel really good about the ones that we do have!!

These times of the year like i said arent making the work any easier but were trying. I cant believe im gonna be calling home... agian in just over a month! I hope they leave me here in this area where im at for christmas... that would stink to leave here only 10 days before Christmas in changes.

I love the work though, even when it hard!

I love you all!!

Until next week!!

Elder Gardner

My ward's primary

Humble prayer

Hey Fam,

Weeks are just becoming more and more un real, especially how fast they go by. This week has been one long awaited though because the lord has worked in lots of mysterious ways with Hosman and Jasmin... they are now back together and we have taken members over there to help them get over the little things that happen. All week we were with them, almost every day just helping Jasmin be ready for her baptism on the 26th and she says she is ready. We were really sure what to think about that though cuz they have said so before but then somthing comes up. We had Jasmin pray on Saturday night and she said one of the most humble prayers ive ever heard from her, especially coming from someone who at first wanted nothing to do with us. I remember specifically she asked the lord that he would not put any obstacles in the way so that she could go to church and that their year and half year old daughter that is in my arms in the pic I sent. would not have any set backs. Well sunday morning... sure enough at 830 they were ready to go. Hosman comes out and hands me his little daughter cuz she now has developed the trust with me and comes running out the door when we get there. She is the cutest thing ever. Yesterday was the Primary Program in the ward and it went soooo well. The kids in the ward did their part so well and everyone was just loving it. Especially Jasmin. I wrote in my journal last night that we finally did it.

After church we walked the lady that only has one leg that got baptized when i first got to this area, she is in her wheelchair and now the members have dedicated themselves to go get her in the morning and its just a huge blessing and she is always soooo greatful. I love these members sooo much. Despite the fact that we are having problems finding people and baptizing like we want to... the members are starting to help more and more.

After church and everything we went to a new area to start contacting and we found 2 new people. A guy that lived in the states for 20 years and admired the church and had the desire to hear the message since 15 years ago but no one had ever passed by to talk to him. It was a really good lesson and he is gonna read the book of mormon and see if he wants more later on.

Its been really hard to work in our area the past week cuz we are trying to help 5 different familes get married and the paperwork that one hast to gather is just ridiculous. But were there workin on it all.

I love the mission, im learning more and more each and every day!

I love you all and miss you more and more every day as well. I hope your all enjoying the snow once again while were still sweating like crazy now that the rain has ceased!

Until next week!!

Elder Gardner

meeting Elder Wedemeyer and his mom Elise

Putting Angel Moroni on the temple

My new companion, Elder Cac from Guatemala

Buenos Dias Familia

Buenos Dias,

Well this week was kinda crazy, I still cant believe that all the changes were this week too. Nielsen is now in his house and it was a crazy last couple days for him. The ward did a big goodbye activity for him and it made me super baggy of course but the members let me know that they love me as well... so thats a good thing at least.

We got a lot of Latinos in our zone this change... its a total of 18 misionaries that we have now and 2 of them are sisters that are opening up one of the areas. My old comp Elder Martinson is in our zone now too.. opening an area and training a new missionary from Canada that speaks 3 languages.. spanish, english and french. Really good missionary.

Oh duh... and my new comp is Elder Cac from Guatemala. With this area, we have 3 areas that we have shared, or that we have both been in. So we talk a lot about the stuggles that we both had in our areas. We get along super well. We have the exact same time in the mission so thats better then being with someone who is getting ready to finish the mission.

We had a super cool experience on friday when we had the Zone Leader council with the Mission President and the Asistants. Its a council that we have every month to talk about baptism goals and all that good stuff. Well we had kind of a surprise that morning when they ended early, gave us subway sandwhiches and told us to get into a little bus cuz we were gonna go see the crowning of the Angel Moroni on the temple. Unluckly they had already put it on at noon on friday and we got there about 2 but there were a TON of members and people there. We were the only missionaries though. Supposidly people started getting there about 9 and just sang hymns. All the members testified in fast and testimony meeting of how spiritual it was there on top of the hill on the side of the temple. In fact that morning there was a Rainbow that came out and many members talked about it that was just incredible. The most defined rainbow they had ever seen in their lives. The bishops wife, one of my favorite members ever, just balled as she told about how the Rainbow surely was a sign of such a long awaited event in the history of the church here in Honduras and how the lord puts these beautiful things for everyone to see. It was a really emotional meeting for everyone there.

The bad news is that Hosman who just got baptized, and Jasmin his wife had some problems in their marriage that caused lots of stress for me. We went to go get them both for church at 8 yesterday morning and Hosman and left, he didnt even come home satuday night and that there was no way she was gonna go to church as she told us in tears. I didnt know what to do. We just told her we would pass by later that day. We were really worried cuz she has only been to church once and had the baptismal date for the 19th. We were really bummed that whole morning that we werent able to fulfil with what we awaited all week but when we went and saw her last night she said she still wants to get baptized but has no idea what to do about Hosman... they dont want to try to make it work.. too many economic problems and they have the poor little daughter not even 2 years old. We tried to do out best to comfort her but we will have to see if she read 2 Nefi 2 tonight. Keep her and Hosman in your prayers... there gonna need it.

Its been a week of lots of trials but a week of lots of lessons learned. We werent able to find any new investigators and we want to fulfil our goal of 2 this month we gotta find someone this week.

Despite all of that... I know for sure, maybe even more then ever that this is the true church. I love my family sooo much... you have no idea!!

I miss you all and always pray for you!! Thanks for everything!

Love Elder Gardner

wood carvings of the temple